Latest news with #MichaelLeiter
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Israel's next target is Fordo, a nuclear site hidden in a mountain
After striking sites critical to Iran's nuclear weapons program early Friday, Israel indicated it would next set its sights on the enrichment facility known as Fordo, Iran's second-largest and most fortified nuclear complex. The Fordo facility, built deep underground to thwart such an attack, is where Iran has stockpiled weapons-grade uranium and could quickly produce a bomb, experts said. Fordo, they added, is Israel's most formidable impediment to halting Iran's nuclear program altogether. As Israel continued attacking Iran, Michael Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, confirmed his country's intention to target the site. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like "No.1 Swing Trader Mr. Hemant Reveals His Winning Strategy for Free! TradeWise Learn More Undo "The entire operation," he told Fox News in an interview, "really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordo." Here is what we know about the site: Live Events Where is the Fordo enrichment facility? The facility, buried deep underground in a mountain in the village of Fordo, is roughly 20 miles from the holy city of Qom. While it is likely that construction on the plant began as early as 2006, the existence of the facility was publicly revealed in 2009. What is done there? Fordo is a uranium enrichment facility where Iran has developed centrifuges to process weapons-grade uranium up to 60% purity, an amount far higher than the 3.7% purity levels needed for civilian use. The site was built to hold roughly up to 3,000 centrifuges, which spin quickly to produce fuel for nuclear weapons or reactors, said Richard Nephew, an Iran expert at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy. Iran, he said, had planned to install even more advanced centrifuges, called IR6s, that could process uranium three to five times more efficiently than the technology currently at the facility. Considering the facility's size and configuration, Nephew said it was well-suited to producing weapons. "If you don't deal with Fordo," Nephew said, "it's got enough centrifuges that it could produce a nuclear weapon pretty quickly," Who runs the facility? While it is not exactly clear who manages operations at the facility, experts said it was likely that a combination of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, the military and scientists at the plant were in charge. The security around the facility is maintained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps , Nephew said. Can Israel destroy Fordo? Given the facility's location and fortifications, it would be difficult for Israel to penetrate it with traditional strikes, said Daniel Shapiro, a security expert at the Atlantic Council. Compared to Natanz, the largest Iranian nuclear facility, which Israel struck early Friday, Fordo is much less exposed. Its destruction would require much more specific bunker-busting equipment . "If you were to just sort of drop bombs on it, it wouldn't penetrate it," Nephew said. However, even if Israel doesn't breach the parts deepest underground, it still may be able to make Fordo inaccessible, by destroying the entrance to it. Experts agreed that a plan to disable the site -- perhaps a combination of special and covert operations, they said -- would be essential to stopping Iran's nuclear program. "The Israelis have got a multiday campaign plan," Nephew said. "It is inconceivable to me that Israelis would launch this attack without an idea of how to deal with Fordo." This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
New York Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Israel's next target is Fordo, a nuclear site hidden in a mountain.
After striking sites critical to Iran's nuclear weapons program early on Friday, Israel indicated it would next set its sights on the enrichment site known as Fordo, Iran's second-largest and most fortified nuclear complex. The Fordo site, built deep underground to thwart such an attack, is where Iran has stockpiled weapons-grade uranium and could quickly produce a bomb, experts said. Fordo, they added, is Israel's most formidable impediment to halting Iran's nuclear program altogether. As Israel continued attacking Iran, Michael Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, confirmed his country's intention to target the site. 'The entire operation,' he told Fox News in an interview, 'really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordo.' Here is what we know about the site: The facilities, buried deep underground in a mountain in the village of Fordo, are roughly 20 miles from the holy city of Qom. While it is likely that construction on the plant began as early as 2006, the existence of the site was publicly revealed in 2009. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli ambassador meets with family of DC shooting victim
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter met this weekend with the family of Sarah Milgrim, one of the two victims killed at the Capital Jewish Museum shooting in Washington, D.C., last week. Milgrim and her boyfriend, Yaron Lischinsky, both Israeli Embassy staffers, were gunned down late Wednesday night while attending a reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, who was identified as a suspect, was apprehended at the scene and shouted 'free, free Palestine' as he was being detained. 'What are you going to solve a problem by shooting two beautiful kids in the back? What is that going to do? All it's going to do is bring more people together in a determined fashion to stand against this insanity, to stand against this violent kind of antisemitism, this violent approach to solving problems,' Leiter said in an interview with Fox4 that aired Sunday. The FBI said it is investigating the shooting as an 'act of terror,' and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino added that the 'penalties will be harsh as we tighten up this investigation and run down any additional leads.' During the interview, Leiter elaborated on the importance of meeting the family in Kansas City, Mo. 'When Sarah and Yaron fell, I understood that it was my responsibility as ambassador to call the parents and be the one to inform them. I did my best to comfort them on the phone. But comfort when you're announcing the worst of all is very difficult. So I wanted to follow through and fly out here to spend some time,' Leiter said. 'What we need to show is a lot of love, compassion, and understanding, and hopefully help the Milgrims begin the process of healing. The pain never goes away, but you learn how to live for the life that has been taken,' the ambassador added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Israeli ambassador meets with family of DC shooting victim
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Michael Leiter met this weekend with the family of Sarah Milgrim, one of the two victims killed at the Capital Jewish Museum shooting in Washington, D.C., last week. Milgrim and her boyfriend, Yaron Lischinsky, both Israeli Embassy staffers, were gunned down late Wednesday night while attending a reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, who was identified as a suspect, was apprehended at the scene and shouted 'free, free Palestine' as he was being detained. 'What are you going to solve a problem by shooting two beautiful kids in the back? What is that going to do? All it's going to do is bring more people together in a determined fashion to stand against this insanity, to stand against this violent kind of anti-Semitism, this violent approach to solving problems,' Leiter said in an interview with Fox4 that aired on Sunday. The FBI said it is investigating the shooting as an 'act of terror' and the bureau's deputy director Dan Bongino added that the 'penalties will be harsh as we tighten up this investigation and run down any additional leads.' During the interview, Leiter elaborated on the importance of meeting the family in Kansas City. 'When Sarah and Yaron fell, I understood that it was my responsibility as ambassador to call the parents and be the one to inform them. I did my best to comfort them on the phone. But comfort when you're announcing the worst of all is very difficult. So I wanted to follow through and fly out here to spend some time,' Leiter said. 'What we need to show is a lot of love, compassion, and understanding, and hopefully help the Milgrims begin the process of healing. The pain never goes away, but you learn how to live for the life that has been taken,' the ambassador added.
